An Untidy Death by Simon Brett

Ellen helps people get rid of what they need anymore.  Some are hoarders, some have grown old and don't need all they have.  Whatever the reason, she'll help them.

Severn House and Net Galley let me read this book for review (thank you).  It will be published September 7th.

She goes to meet with a woman whose daughter hired her.  She has an orderly mess and says she's fine with it.  Ellen stays and visits because she was a journalist and has lots of tales to tell.

Ellen is stricken when she hears the lady died in a fire.  But it's no accident...

As Ellen digs into the past, she meets all kinds of people.  Even the man that became a father but didn't know it for years.

I was surprised by the killer.  Will you be?

The Clutter Corpse by Simon Brett

She's created a business for herself by cleaning up houses that hoarders live in.  When she goes out on a new job, she has no idea that she will find a dead body under some clutter.  It wasn't hurt by the clutter, it was an overdose.

Severn House and Net Galley let me read this book for review (thank you).  It will be published June 2nd.

If that wasn't bad enough she runs across another dead body.  Two bodies in a week make the police suspicious.  Why was she the one who found them?  Did she kill them?

This story gets into dysfunctional families and fractured friendships.  The only way she can clear herself is to find the killer(s).  So she begins asking questions and putting clues together.

I was surprised by the identity of the killers.  I was also surprised when her good friend turned out not to be.  Being betrayed by a friend hurts.  But the father of the dead girl is hurt by an even closer betrayal.

She finds the killers but the book doesn't end happily ever after.  However, justice was served.

The Liar in the Library by Simon Brett

A best selling author has come to talk about his book at the local library.  He thinks all women desire him and they don't.  He still tries to persuade them by touching and being familiar but he has no success.  He gets in an argument with one man and shuts another man down during the questions after his talk was over.  He's leaving at the same time as Jude so he offers her a ride home since it's raining.  She says OK but then he misbehaves in the car and she gets and walks home.  The next day he's found dead in the car in the parking lot and Jude becomes a suspect.

Black Thorn and Net Galley let me read this book for review (thank you).  It is being published today.

This author always writes good mysteries.  This is another that was a treat to read.

His ex-wife tells the cops that Jude had an affair with the dead man and that was what ended their marriage.  It's not true but the cops aren't sure they believe her.  He was allergic to walnuts and that's what killed him.  The problem is that he didn't eat anything at the library, he just had a glass of wine.  Was that poisoned with walnuts?  The bottle was dropped and broke so no one else could drink any.  How did he encounter the walnuts?

Jude finds herself becoming a high suspect on the list so she starts her own search for the killer.  That ends up getting her a talk from the police about compromising witnesses.  So she asks her next door neighbor to take over.   They'd worked on other cases together.  They also find the answer before the cops do.  The motive for the killing is unusual.

Give Mr. Brett a try, you might be surprised.

The Liar in the Library by Simon Brett

He came to the library to do a book presentation of his new novel and to sign books for those who bought.  When he offers to give her a ride home because it's cold out, she accepts.  Then he gropes her and talks about how long she's wanted him (NOT!) and she slapped him and got out of the car and walked home.  In the morning, his car is still in the parking lot and so's he.  But he's not breathing...

Severn House and Net Galley gave me the opportunity to read this book for review (thank you).  It will be published January 1st.

He had changed his name but he was the same old Al that screwed around when he thought he had opportunity.  Her problem was that she was the last one to see him alive and the cops think she must have killed him.  Even if she wanted to, she didn't.  It doesn't help when his first wife says she broke up their marriage and slept with him in the past.  It's not true but no one believes her except her good friends.  She finally decides the only way she's going to move from the suspect list is if she finds the murderer...

As she gathers information, she learns he was the same as he was in the past.  Why he made her his scapegoat she doesn't know.  She investigates with her neighbor and a man who had been at the library during his presentation.  When she finally breaks through to the solution, she's disappointed.  It's hard when someone you like does something bad.  The only good news is that she is not a suspect anymore...

Mrs Pargeter's Public Relations by Simon Brett

Mrs. Pargeter's husband has been dead for a number of years now but she will let no one say anything bad about him.  He was a wonderful provider, left her plenty of money and a little black book that has all his old contacts on it.  She uses them to help her through life now.  One drives her, one is detective and there are all kinds of other skills within the black book.  She even got one to make her safe secure.  But evil doesn't go away just because you're prepared...

Severn House and Net Galley allowed me to read this book for review (thank you).  It will be published April 1st.

It's when Mrs. Pargeter goes to a charity event for cats that she meets a woman who says she's her dead husband's sister.  She'd never heard of her before, doesn't like her much, and avoids her at the event.  However, she calls again.  She thinks she's owed something from the estate.  Mrs. Pargeter tells her to put it in writing and she'll discuss it with her attorney.  She thinks she's taken care of that but then she finds her failsafe safe that only opens with her fingerprint ID has been opened and her black book is missing.  She calls the detective and they go off on the hunt.

The trail goes to Greece and so do they.  But it's a dangerous place to be.  Everyone is related and they're all part of a conspiracy.  The facts get muddled the further they go.  And Mrs. Pargeter's husband was not the most honest and perfect gentleman in the world but she won't hear of it.  She's going to protect his reputation and work with his friends to do so.

This story is a bit tongue-in-cheek but I really enjoyed it.  Mrs. Pargeter is not as dense as she appears because she comes up with a way to nip the trouble in the bud.  You need to be careful around old ladies.  They may not be what they seem to be...

The Killing in the Cafe: A Fethering Mystery by Simon Brett

The village is atwitter.  Polly's Cake Shop owner is retiring and is going to sell her shop.  They need to keep that shop open because it's a great tourist attraction.  What are they going to do?

Severn House and Net Galley allowed me to read this book for review (thank you).  It will be published March 1st.

Someone gets the idea of making the shop a community project and having folks volunteer their time.  That's not very likely but it could be doable if enough help.  But who's got the capital to buy the building?  And, God forbid, what if a Starbucks went in instead!

While all the fuss is going on about who will own the shop, one of Jude's clients tells her she thinks she's having a nervous breakdown again.  She thought she saw a body in the storeroom with a bullet hole in his head.  The gun was on the window sill, so it wasn't suicide.  But when she looks again, there's no body, no gun, and no blood.  Was it a hallucination?  Jude thinks not, but with no evidence there's not much she can do.  Then the body surfaces about three weeks later.  It sure looks like murder now.

The police seem to be getting nowhere, so Jude and Carole start doing some snooping of their own.  As always, there are a lot of secrets in the village, many of them not nice.

My favorite part of this story is where the newcomers to the village think that Jude and Carole are lesbians because they do so much together.  They even advise them to get married which made me smile.  Oh, people, haven't you heard of friends?  They weren't even that good at being friends sometimes.

I didn't suspect the killer.  It was a bit of an odd story with an even odder ending but all's well that ends well.  I've read Mr. Brett's work for some time and his stories are interesting, hold your attention and entertain you.  That's what this one did too.

The Cinderella Killer by Simon Brett

When the star of the Christmas production is murdered, Charles Paris is the first person to locate him.  He understands that makes him a suspect, but he doesn't like it.

Severn House Publishers and Net Galley allowed me to read this book for review (thank you).  It will be published September 25th.

Charles likes acting and likes working with actors, as eccentric as they may be.  He finds it hard to believe a man so full of life and of himself would suddenly end up dead.  Who has a motive?  There are many that have reasons to be angry with him, but surely not angry enough to kill.

This is twisted tale of wants and needs and blatant disregard of morals and conscience.  The big star takes what he wants and his lawyer spends his life bailing him out of trouble.  When trouble from the past shows up again, it blows up into an even bigger problem.  

When another witness is found dead, Charles is getting worried.  Is the killer after him, too?  Who can it be?  Even when Charles figures it out, I was amazed by the solution.  Love + Hate relationships aren't uncommon, but usually murder doesn't follow...

The story is interesting, especially if you like theater, and it takes a while to wend your way through the mystery.  Charles is a so-so character, but he does have a good logical mind.  Mr. Brett has written another solid mystery here.

The Strangling on the Stage by Simon Brett

When Jude loaned a piece of furniture to the local dramatic company, she had no idea it would lead her into playing a part in the play and solving a murder...

Severn House and Net Galley allowed me to download a copy of this for review (thank you).  You can get a copy after February 1st.

Jude and her neighbor, Carole, are good friends.  They're both single.  Jude is an extrovert and Carole is an introvert.  When she mentions the play to Carole, she thinks it's nonsense, but helps her get the chaise longue to the play location.

The characters really are characters.  They have egos, attitudes, and love to manipulate people.  The stuff going on behind the scenes is a lot more dramatic than the what's happening on the stage.  Two thirds of the fights are acting, not real.  They like to set the stage in life as well as in their performances.

When the main sponsor and actress walks off the set, Jude is approached to take her place.  It's a small part and she's happy to do it.  Carole is cynical and thinks she's silly.  There's nothing silly about murder.

I'm not sure what I think about the ending of this book.  The cops decide it was suicide; Jude and Carole prove it was not.  The part that bothered me was that they played judge and jury and let it be. The question that floats through my mind is:  "What would you do in the same circumstances?"  I still haven't answered it.

Happy reading!